1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device with capabilities for reading images such as an image communication device or a copier (generically called the image reading device) and, more particularly, to an image reading device that reads images from a document while internally transporting the document.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical prior art image communication device has on its top a hopper on which to place a stack of documents. Below the hopper are a feed roller and a document-separating member for separating and feeding one document at a time from the stack of documents. Below the feed roller and the document-separating member are an image sensor for reading each document being transported and a document ejection roller for ejecting each document that has been read, the finished document being ejected under the device. With this type of device, bending the document transport path abruptly toward the document-separating member immediately downstream of the feed roller and the document-separating member would cause the document being fed to interfere with the document-separating member and result in a feed error. The bending of the document transport path must not be acute to avoid the interference. Ordinarily, the path is substantially straight between the feed roller and the document ejection roller, and has an angle of about 60 degrees to the horizontal.
Because the document transport path in the transmitting section of the device, particularly the path downstream of the feed roller, has a large angle (about 60 degrees) relative to the horizontal, the path as a whole is necessarily which, means the device itself becomes tall. One disadvantage of this prior art construction is that the part mounting efficiency in the device is decreased due to the device being tall.